14th Annual Voorkamerfest To Take Place 6-8 Sept In Darling

The 14th annual Voorkamerfest will take place from 6 to 8 September in the West Coast town of Darling.

As always, audiences can expect a selection of talented South African and International Artists, both well established and emerging. Performance genres are diverse and the line-up this year is once again a broad offering that includes storytelling, drama, dance, choir, magic, physical theatre and comedy. Artists include Wendy Oldfield, poet Sindiwe Magona, magician Mawonga Giyaya, Heal the Hood rap and hip hop outfit, mentalist Bryan Miles, Lungiswa Plaatjies and the Ancient Voices vocal ensemble; the Celtic folk band Jenny and the Jameses, musicians Keegan Steenkamp and Jitsvinger in collaboration, and the ARCO youth music group, among others.

The Voorkamerfest, presented for the second time in association with the Fugard Theatre, was founded in 2004 by Inge Bos and Wim Visser with the help of Pieter-Dirk Uys, the residents of Darling and invaluable support from local businesses. What sets this festival apart is that audiences don't know which shows they'll be seeing until they are seated in the front rooms (voorkamers) of homes spread throughout the community.

There are seven colour-coded routes each with three shows presented in three houses. Minibus taxis ferry patrons from Evita se Perron to venues that range from grand old Cape Dutch manors to RDP houses, where local hosts receive visitors with a warm Darling welcome.

Evita se Perron is the lively Voorkamerfest hub with a daily outdoor market coordinated by the I love Yzer/Darling team, offering local crafts and refreshments. Routes are scheduled for 5pm on Friday 6 September, at 12pm and 5pm on Saturday 7 September and 12pm on Sunday 8 September - One weekend, 21 shows, 60 performers!

Tickets are available online and must be collected at the Voorkamerfest box office at Evita se Perron. Tickets will also be available at the event if the festival is not sold out and advance booking is recommended.. Guests are advised to arrive an hour before taxis depart for the shows. Tickets cost R210pp on Friday and R270pp on Saturday and Sunday and are available through Quicket, www.voorkamerfest-darling.co.za. R10 from each ticket sold will be donated to The Darling Trust NGO (www.thedarlingtrust.org).